Barcelona’s Rafinha was said to be a target of Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
According to a report in Estadio Deportivo, Real Betis are closing in on a £1 million season-long loan deal for Barcelona’s Rafinha with an option to purchase the player outright for a bargain £18 million.
Tottenham Hotspur were said to be interested in signing the Brazilian this summer, with reports in Mundo Deportivo claiming Mauricio Pochettino had cited the midfielder as a target.
It was said that Pochettino’s relationship with Barcelona director Ramon Planes would help facilitate a deal, as the two figures worked together at Barca’s city-rivals Espanyol.
But ultimately, Spurs seemingly didn’t press ahead with their interest and the summer transfer window ended with the club making no new signings – a situation which no doubt frustrated supporters.
Rafinha has been out of favour at Barca for a while and spent last season on loan at Serie A side Inter Milan, scoring two goals and adding a further three assists in 17 league appearances.
The Italians chose not to pursue a permanent deal as they signed Roma’s Radja Nainggolan instead, while Tottenham not signing him has now given Betis the chance to pull off a potential coup.
For the reported figures, it seems strange why Spurs wouldn’t go in for him as Pochettino knows how to seek a bargain and Rafinha is just that, considering his ability and the fact he is still only 25 years of age.
With Mousa Dembele reportedly struggling with the demands of the Premier League (the Daily Mail) and players such as Eric Dier, Moussa Sissoko and Luke Amos not quite at that standard, Rafinha represented an opportunity for Spurs to really bolster their midfield at a very reasonable price.
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